In a disproportionate assets (DA) case before the Hon’ble District & Sessions Judge, Khurdha cum Special Court in Bhubaneswar, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a Prosecution Complaint against Maheswar Pradhan, S/o Late Bhagaban Pradhan, and Smt. Namita Pradhan, W/o Maheswar Pradhan. The Hon’ble Court was pleased to take cognizance of the matter on September 28, 2023.
The ED launched an investigation based on a FIR registered by the Vigilance Police Station in Bhubaneswar under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 for alleged possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs. 2.04 crore by Maheswar Pradhan and his family members while he was working in the official capacity of Divisional Manager, OFDC Ltd., Angul, Odisha.
An ED investigation revealed that Maheswar Pradhan, as a government employee, took advantage of his official position, generating proceeds of crime and acquiring various movable and immovable assets/properties disproportionate to his known source of income in his own name and the names of his family members. Smt. Namita Pradhan, W/o Maheswar Pradhan, was discovered to be involved in supporting her husband Maheswar Pradhan in the purchase, possession, stacking, and integration of such disproportionate assets obtained illegally.
Previously, in March 2022, the ED attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs. 2.04 crore held in the names of both Maheswar Pradhan and Smt. Namita Pradhan in the shape of plots of land, buildings, FDs/available bank balances, and so on in Bhubaneshwar and Angul. On September 16, 2022, the abovementioned attachment order was confirmed by the Ld. Adjudicating Authority, PMLA, New Delhi.
